US20010052332A1 - Intake manifold of outboard motor - Google Patents
Intake manifold of outboard motor Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010052332A1 US20010052332A1 US09/867,468 US86746801A US2001052332A1 US 20010052332 A1 US20010052332 A1 US 20010052332A1 US 86746801 A US86746801 A US 86746801A US 2001052332 A1 US2001052332 A1 US 2001052332A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- intake manifold
- engine
- outboard motor
- intake
- motor according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Links
- 229920003002 synthetic resin Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000000057 synthetic resin Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 claims description 29
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 9
- 230000013011 mating Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 230000002787 reinforcement Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 15
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 15
- 229910000838 Al alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 9
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000012212 insulator Substances 0.000 description 3
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000013535 sea water Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000003584 silencer Effects 0.000 description 3
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000002828 fuel tank Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000010355 oscillation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 150000003839 salts Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007547 defect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003502 gasoline Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000155 melt Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000644 propagated effect Effects 0.000 description 1
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- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10314—Materials for intake systems
- F02M35/10321—Plastics; Composites; Rubbers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B61/00—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing
- F02B61/04—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers
- F02B61/045—Adaptations of engines for driving vehicles or for driving propellers; Combinations of engines with gearing for driving propellers for marine engines
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B75/00—Other engines
- F02B75/16—Engines characterised by number of cylinders, e.g. single-cylinder engines
- F02B75/18—Multi-cylinder engines
- F02B75/20—Multi-cylinder engines with cylinders all in one line
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10006—Air intakes; Induction systems characterised by the position of elements of the air intake system in direction of the air intake flow, i.e. between ambient air inlet and supply to the combustion chamber
- F02M35/10072—Intake runners
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10006—Air intakes; Induction systems characterised by the position of elements of the air intake system in direction of the air intake flow, i.e. between ambient air inlet and supply to the combustion chamber
- F02M35/10078—Connections of intake systems to the engine
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/10242—Devices or means connected to or integrated into air intakes; Air intakes combined with other engine or vehicle parts
- F02M35/10255—Arrangements of valves; Multi-way valves
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/10—Air intakes; Induction systems
- F02M35/104—Intake manifolds
- F02M35/112—Intake manifolds for engines with cylinders all in one line
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02M—SUPPLYING COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL WITH COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURES OR CONSTITUENTS THEREOF
- F02M35/00—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines
- F02M35/16—Combustion-air cleaners, air intakes, intake silencers, or induction systems specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines characterised by use in vehicles
- F02M35/165—Marine vessels; Ships; Boats
- F02M35/167—Marine vessels; Ships; Boats having outboard engines; Jet-skis
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B75/00—Other engines
- F02B75/02—Engines characterised by their cycles, e.g. six-stroke
- F02B2075/022—Engines characterised by their cycles, e.g. six-stroke having less than six strokes per cycle
- F02B2075/027—Engines characterised by their cycles, e.g. six-stroke having less than six strokes per cycle four
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B75/00—Other engines
- F02B75/16—Engines characterised by number of cylinders, e.g. single-cylinder engines
- F02B75/18—Multi-cylinder engines
- F02B2075/1804—Number of cylinders
- F02B2075/1816—Number of cylinders four
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an intake manifold of an outboard motor.
- a multiple-cylinder engine mounted on an outboard motor or the like is provided with an intake manifold (or merely a manifold) for distributing intake air, the flow of which is regulated by a throttle body, to the respective cylinders of the engine.
- An intake manifold made of aluminum alloy has been normally employed, and an intake manifold made of synthetic resin has not been utilized till these days. However, it is initially adopted by the applicant of the subject application for forming a portion of the intake manifold downstream side of a throttle body of an intake device.
- the intake manifold is equipped with outfits such as filters, pumps, etc.
- outfits such as filters, pumps, etc.
- a hose, a wire harness and the like provided among the outfit are fixed by clamps made of metal sheet or resin attached to the intake manifold by means of bolts.
- the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy is heavy in weight and becomes larger in size as the displacement of the engine increases. Further, if the number of the cylinders of the engine increases, the number of branches thereof increases to thereby increase the weight of intake manifold.
- the intake manifold is also mounted with an engine hook for suspending an engine by a crane, for example.
- the intake manifold is provided with a support boss for supporting an outboard motor at a time of being pushed over sideways.
- an intake manifold made of resin has a rigidity lower than that of the aluminum intake manifold, and moreover, in a case where an outfit such as vapor separator having a relatively heavy weight is fixed to the resin intake manifold at two or three portions, it is difficult for the resin intake manifold to withstand against a vibration from the engine, thus being inconvenient.
- the resin intake manifold may not withstand against the weight of the engine and may be damaged when the engine is suspended.
- An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide an intake manifold for an outboard motor capable of reducing weight and cost and improving operational performance or operating property.
- an intake manifold of an outboard motor which is mounted with a multiple-cylinder engine and in which intake air is distributed by the intake manifold to respective cylinders of the engine, the intake manifold being formed of synthetic resin and comprising:
- a branch including a plurality of branch sections extending from the surge tank to the respective cylinders of the engine
- the surge tank and the branch constituting an intake manifold body which is divided along a flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branch sections.
- the intake manifold body is fixed to the engine directly at one portion and is fixed thereto, at another portion, through a throttle body to which a bracket is connected, and the intake manifold body has mating surfaces between the intake manifold body and the engine and between the intake manifold body and the throttle body, and sealing means are formed to the mating surfaces.
- Each of the sealing means is composed of a groove formed to the mating surface and an O-ring fitted to the groove.
- the bracket is formed with bolt holes in shape of slots.
- the intake manifold body is provided with a plurality of reinforcement ribs extending in longitudinal direction thereof.
- the divided intake manifold body is joined together by a vibration welding method.
- the intake manifold body is provided with a hose clamp, the hose clamp is divided into halves, which are formed integrally with the divided portions of the intake manifold body, respectively, so that the divided halves take a form of a clamp when the divided portions of the intake manifold body are coupled together.
- At least four attachment bosses for fixing an outfit of an outboard motor is provided on a surface of the intake manifold body on the side of the engine and the outfit is fixed to the attachment bosses.
- a mounting section of an engine hook for suspending the engine is arranged between an intake manifold fixing bosses provided at the engine and an interior of the intake manifold body so as to be fastened together by a bolt for fixing the intake manifold body.
- a support boss used at a time of disposing an outboard motor to be sideways is disposed at substantially a central portion of the branch in a protruded manner.
- a delivery pipe constituting a fuel supply device is directly attached to the intake manifold body.
- intake manifold used in the present specification generally means an intake manifold body including other portions, but may be, in some portions, used as an intake manifold unit, for example, including the intake manifold body.
- brackets of the brackets are formed to have long hole (slot) shapes, the deformation of the intake manifold can be absorbed by the bolt holes.
- the location of a plurality of reinforcement ribs extending in longitudinal direction at the intake manifold makes it possible to improve the rigidity of the intake manifold and to prevent salt from adhering to the intake manifold even if seawater enters the outboard motor.
- the divided hose clamp halves are formed integrally with the divided segments of the intake manifold, respectively, so that the halves take a form of a clamp when the divided segments of the intake manifold are coupled together. It is, therefore, possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembly steps.
- the location of the mounting bosses at, at least, four portions and the outfit such as vapor separator is secured, so that the oscillation (resonation) of the outfit due to the engine vibration can be suppressed effectively, thus improving the durability of the intake manifold.
- the direct mounting of the delivery pipe to the intake manifold can reduce the parts or members to be assembled and the assembling workability can be hence improved.
- FIG. 1 is a left side view of an outboard motor showing one embodiment of an intake manifold of an outboard motor according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of an engine of the outboard motor of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the engine
- FIG. 4 is a left side view of only the intake manifold while being mounted to the engine;
- FIG. 5 is a top view of only the intake manifold
- FIG. 6 is a right side view of only the intake manifold
- FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4;
- FIG. 8 is a view seen from VIII of FIG. 3;
- FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9 C show three surfaces of an intake device attachment bracket, respectively;
- FIG. 10 is a right side view of only the intake manifold in a state that a portion of a fuel supply device is mounted thereto;
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 2.
- FIG. 1 is a left side view of an outboard motor 1 to which the present invention is applied.
- the outboard motor 1 is provided with an engine holder 2 and an engine 3 is disposed above the engine holder 2 in an illustrated state. Further, a clamp bracket 4 is attached to the engine holder 2 and the outboard motor 1 is installed to the transom 5 a of a hull 5 .
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the engine 3 .
- FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the engine 3 .
- the engine 3 mounted on the outboard motor 1 is, for example, a water-cooled four-stroke-cycle in-line four-cylinder engine.
- the engine 3 is constituted in combination of a cylinder head 6 , a cylinder block 7 , and a crankcase 8 and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the surrounding of the engine 3 is covered with an outboard motor cover 9 .
- the cylinder block 7 is arranged in the back (right side as viewed) of the crank case 8 arranged in the forefront of the engine 3 or in the left of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 .
- the cylinder head 6 is arranged in the back of the cylinder block 7 .
- a crankshaft 10 is arranged almost perpendicularly in the coupling portion between the crankcase 8 and the cylinder block 7 (see FIG. 1).
- a drive shaft housing 11 is provided below the engine 3 .
- a drive shaft 12 is constituted such that the upper end portion of the drive shaft 12 is fitted into the lower end portion of the crankshaft 10 through, for example, a spline connection, the drive shaft 12 extends downward in the drive shaft housing 11 and drives a propeller 16 through a bevel gear 14 and a propeller shaft 15 in a gear case 13 provided below the drive shaft housing 11 .
- the intake system 17 mainly comprises a silencer 19 , a throttle body 20 and an intake manifold 21 .
- the intake manifold 21 comprises a surge tank 22 and four branches 23 extending from the surge tank 22 to the respective cylinders of the engine.
- the throttle body 20 which is one of the constitutional elements of the intake system 17 is arranged, for example, in front of the crankcase 8 .
- the silencer 19 and the surge tank 22 of the intake manifold 21 are connected to the upstream and downstream sides of the throttle body 20 , respectively.
- the branches 23 extending from the surge tank 22 almost horizontally are arranged on the side of the cylinder block 7 in vertical alignment and connected to respective intake ports, not shown, formed at the cylinder head 6 .
- the outboard motor 1 in this embodiment is provided with a fuel tank, not shown, on the hull side.
- a fuel supply hose 24 extending from the fuel tank is connected to a low-pressure fuel filter 25 .
- a low pressure fuel pump 27 driven by a camshaft, not shown, which is the constitutional element of the valve system of the engine 3 is arranged on a cylinder head cover 26 covering the rear portion of the cylinder head 6 .
- the low-pressure fuel pump 27 and the low-pressure fuel filter 25 are connected to each other through a low-pressure fuel hose 28 .
- a vapor separator 29 is provided in a space formed between the left side surface of the cylinder block 7 and the intake manifold 21 .
- the vapor separator 29 separates fuel steam contained in liquid fuel such as gasoline and releases or returns only this steam in the air or to the intake system 17 .
- the fuel is introduced from the low-pressure fuel pump 27 to the vapor separator 29 through the low-pressure fuel hose 30 .
- a high-pressure fuel pump not shown, is provided in the vapor separator 29 .
- the steam-separated fuel is forcedly fed from the high-pressure fuel pump to a high-pressure fuel filter 32 through a high-pressure fuel hose 31 .
- This high-pressure fuel filter 32 is fixed to the lower portion of the intake manifold 21 through, for example, a bracket 33 .
- the high pressure fuel forcedly fed to the high pressure fuel filter 32 is fed to a delivery pipe 34 which is integrated with or integrally attached to the intake manifold 21 as will be described hereinlater, through a high pressure fuel hose 35 .
- the delivery pipe 34 is connected to fuel injectors 36 attached to the respective cylinders. These fuel injectors 36 inject high-pressure fuel into intake ports.
- FIG. 4 is a right side view of only the intake manifold 21 in a state in which the manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3 .
- FIG. 5 is a top view of only the intake manifold 21 .
- FIG. 6 is a right side view of only the intake manifold 21 .
- FIG. 7 is a right side view of only the intake manifold 21 in a state in which a part of the fuel supply system 18 is attached to the manifold 21 .
- FIG. 10 is also a right side view of only the intake manifold to which a portion of a fuel supply device 18 is mounted.
- the intake manifold 21 is formed of synthetic resin.
- the intake manifold 21 is divided into two segments in a lateral direction (in a state in which the manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3 ), i.e., into an outside shell 21 a and an inside shell 21 b along the flow direction of intake air flowing in the branches 23 .
- the outside shell 21 a and the inside shell 21 b are formed by an injection method, respectively, and the mating surfaces of the shells 21 a and 21 b are coupled and integrated together by a vibrating welding method.
- a mounting eye 37 for mounting the throttle body 20 is formed integrally with the surge tank 22 formed upstream of the intake manifold 21 .
- a mounting eye 38 for mounting the engine 3 is formed integrally with the downstream ends of the branches 23 formed downstream of the intake manifold 21 .
- the mounting eye 38 for the engine 3 extends longitudinally so as to couple the downstream ends of the respective branches 23 and a mounting boss 39 for mounting the delivery pipe 34 is formed integrally with the mounting eye 38 .
- the delivery pipe 34 is directly fixed to the mounting boss 39 .
- a groove 41 is formed on the outer periphery of an intake port 40 formed at the mounting eye 37 of the throttle body 20 and an O-ring 42 is inserted into the groove 41 .
- a groove 44 is formed on the outer periphery of the outlet 43 a of an intake passage 43 formed at the mounting eye 38 of the branch 23 for the engine 3 and an O-ring 45 is fitted in the groove 44 .
- reinforcement ribs 46 extending in longitudinal direction are also formed on the surface of the outside shell 21 a opposite to the engine 3 . Furthermore, a plurality of support bosses for supporting the outboard motor in the horizontally falling state are formed integrally with the outside shell 21 a at substantially the central portion of this surface.
- FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4.
- a hose clamp 50 holding a hose is provided on the upper surface of the intake manifold 21 .
- This hose clamp 50 is halved laterally into halves 50 a and 50 b , which are formed integrally with the outside shell 21 a and the inside shell 21 b , respectively, so that the hose clamp 50 takes the form of a clamp when the both shells 21 a and 21 b are coupled together.
- FIG. 8 is a view seen from VIII of FIG. 3.
- the silencer 19 , the throttle body 20 and the surge tank 22 of the intake manifold 21 are integrated with one another by a plurality of bolts 51 a and 51 b .
- the intake system 17 thus integrated with one another is attached to, for example, the crankcase 8 of the engine 3 by other bolts 53 through a bracket 52 .
- the bracket 52 is fastened to the intake system 17 by the bolt 51 b.
- the mounting eye 38 formed on the downstream ends of the branches 23 for the engine 3 is directly fixed to the cylinder head 6 by, for example, bolts 54 .
- upper and lower portions, for example, on the upstream sides of the branches 23 are directly fixed to a boss 56 provided at the crankcase 8 by, for example, a bolt 55 .
- FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9 C show the three surfaces of the intake system attachment bracket 5 , respectively.
- bolt holes 57 for the intake system integrating bolts 51 b and bolt holes 58 for the bolts 53 for attaching the intake system 17 to the crankcase 8 are provided in the bracket 52 .
- These bolt holes 57 and 58 are formed into the shapes of long holes, i.e. slots.
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 2.
- the outboard motor 1 is provided with a hook 60 by which the engine 3 of the outboard motor 1 is suspended by using a crane, for example.
- the engine hook 60 is mounted in a clamped state between the engine 3 and the intake manifold 21 . More specifically, the engine hook 60 has a mounting portion 60 a which is disposed between the inside of the branch 23 and the boss 56 to which the upper side of the upstream side branch 23 and the mounting portion 60 a is fastened by means of bolt 55 for fixing the branch 23 .
- the intake manifold 21 is formed of synthetic resin, the intake manifold 21 is lighter in weight than that formed of aluminum alloy.
- a sand core is employed to form intake passages in the branches of the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy, the surfaces of the passages are rough and intake air is applied with resistance.
- the surfaces of intake passages 43 in the branches 23 thereof can be formed far smoother, and intake air resistance can be reduced accordingly.
- the intake manifold 21 is laterally halved into the outside shell 21 a and the inside shell 21 b along the flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branches 23 thereof (in a state that the intake manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3 ) and formed through an injection method.
- the intake manifold 21 is laterally halved into the outside shell 21 a and the inside shell 21 b along the flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branches 23 thereof (in a state that the intake manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3 ) and formed through an injection method.
- the intake manifold 21 used for the outboard motor 1 is linearly shaped compared with an intake manifold used for an automobile. It is, therefore, possible to divide the intake manifold 21 suitably for the vibration welding method.
- the mounting eye 38 formed on the downstream ends of the branches 23 to mount the intake manifold to the engine 3 is directly fixed to the cylinder head 6 by means of bolts 54 .
- the upper and lower portions of the branches 23 on the upstream sides are directly fixed to the boss 56 provided at the crankcase 8 by the bolts 55 .
- the throttle body 20 attached to the surge tank 22 of the intake manifold 21 is attached to the crankcase 8 of the engine 3 through the bracket 52 by the bolts 53 . It is, therefore, possible to increase mounting rigidity. As a result, the intake manifold 21 is not resonated by the vibration of the engine 3 and the durability of the intake manifold 21 can be thereby improved.
- the resin intake manifold 21 is slightly deformed according to a temperature change and a water absorption state, the deformation can be absorbed by forming the bolt holes 57 for the intake system integrating bolts 51 b provided at the bracket 52 .
- the bolt holes 58 for the bolts 53 for attaching the intake manifold 21 to the crankcase 8 are formed into the shapes of long holes. It is, therefore, possible to assemble the intake manifold 21 with the engine 3 .
- the rigidity of the intake manifold 21 can be increased by providing a plurality of reinforcement ribs 46 extending in the longitudinal direction almost orthogonally to the axes of the branches 23 of the intake manifold 21 to the front and rear surfaces of the branches 23 , respectively, so as to couple the respective branches 23 one another. Furthermore, even if seawater enters the interior of the outboard motor 9 , seawater does not remain around the reinforcement ribs 46 , thereby making it possible to prevent salt from adhering to the intake manifold 21 .
- the hose clamp 50 provided on the upper surface of the intake manifold 21 is laterally halved into halves 50 a and 50 b , which are integrally formed with the outside shells 21 a and the inside shells 21 b , respectively, so that the halves 50 a and 50 b take the form of a clamp when both the shells 21 a and 21 b are coupled together.
- the hose clamp 50 can be formed so as not to abut burrs formed by a parting line generated at the formation of the hose clamp 50 against the hose, and the damage of the hose can be, therefore, prevented.
- the groove 41 is formed on the outer periphery of the intake port 40 formed at the mounting eye 37 for the throttle body 20 , and the O-ring 42 is fitted into the groove 41 .
- the groove 44 is formed on the outer periphery of the outlet 43 a of the intake passage 43 formed at the mounting eye 38 of the branches 23 for the engine 3 and the O-ring 45 is fitted into the groove 44 . Accordingly, it is possible to seal the coupling surfaces on which the intake manifold 21 is coupled to the cylinder head 6 and the throttle body 20 .
- the assembling performance can be more improved than that in case of using the metal gasket or paper gasket.
- the mounting portion 60 a of the engine hook 60 is disposed between the inside of the branch 23 and the boss 56 to which the upper side of the upstream side branch 23 is fixed, and the mounting portion 60 a is fastened by means of bolt 55 for fixing the branch 23 . According to this structure, when the engine is suspended, the load is applied to the engine side boss 56 and the branch fixing bolt 55 and is not applied to the intake manifold, thus being advantageous.
- a plurality of support bosses 49 for supporting the outboard motor 1 at a time of being disposed horizontally are provided at substantially the central portion of the branch 23 to be integrally with the outside shell 21 a in a projecting manner. According to this arrangement, the bosses 49 are positioned at the most high strong position in structure to thereby effectively support the outboard motor 1 .
- the present invention may be applicable to an intake manifold having a more complex shape or more complex structure
- description has been given while taking a case of fixing the intake manifold 21 to the cylinder head 6 and the crankcase 8 as an example.
- the intake manifold 21 may be fixed to the cylinder block 7 .
- description has been given while taking a case of fixing the intake manifold 21 to the crankcase 8 through the bracket 51 attached to the throttle body 20 as an example.
- the bracket may be directly attached to the intake manifold 21 .
- a boss not shown, for example, may be provided on the engine 3 side and the intake manifold 21 and the throttle body 20 may be mounted to this boss.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Control Of Throttle Valves Provided In The Intake System Or In The Exhaust System (AREA)
- Exhaust Silencers (AREA)
Abstract
An outboard motor is mounted with a multiple-cylinder engine and an intake air is distributed by an intake manifold to respective cylinders of the engine. The intake manifold is formed of synthetic resin and comprises a surge tank and a branch including a plurality of branch sections extending from the surge tank to the respective cylinders. The surge tank and the branch constitute an intake manifold body which is divided along a flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branch sections.
Description
- The present invention relates to an intake manifold of an outboard motor.
- A multiple-cylinder engine mounted on an outboard motor or the like is provided with an intake manifold (or merely a manifold) for distributing intake air, the flow of which is regulated by a throttle body, to the respective cylinders of the engine. An intake manifold made of aluminum alloy has been normally employed, and an intake manifold made of synthetic resin has not been utilized till these days. However, it is initially adopted by the applicant of the subject application for forming a portion of the intake manifold downstream side of a throttle body of an intake device.
- In many cases, the intake manifold is equipped with outfits such as filters, pumps, etc. A hose, a wire harness and the like provided among the outfit are fixed by clamps made of metal sheet or resin attached to the intake manifold by means of bolts.
- However, the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy is heavy in weight and becomes larger in size as the displacement of the engine increases. Further, if the number of the cylinders of the engine increases, the number of branches thereof increases to thereby increase the weight of intake manifold.
- On the other hand, if clamps are provided separately from the intake manifold, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps will be disadvantageously increased. In addition, in a case where it is necessary to provide screw holes in the intake manifold for attaching the clamps, the manufacturing cost of the intake manifold will be disadvantageously pushed up.
- Further, in a certain arrangement, the intake manifold is also mounted with an engine hook for suspending an engine by a crane, for example. In another arrangement, the intake manifold is provided with a support boss for supporting an outboard motor at a time of being pushed over sideways.
- On the other hand, as the intake manifold made of an aluminum has a high thermal conductivity, an insulator made of resin has been utilized for preventing heat from being transmitted at a time when a part such as delivery pipe is mounted.
- However, an intake manifold made of resin has a rigidity lower than that of the aluminum intake manifold, and moreover, in a case where an outfit such as vapor separator having a relatively heavy weight is fixed to the resin intake manifold at two or three portions, it is difficult for the resin intake manifold to withstand against a vibration from the engine, thus being inconvenient.
- Furthermore, in an arrangement in which the resin intake manifold is directly mounted to the engine hook, the resin intake manifold may not withstand against the weight of the engine and may be damaged when the engine is suspended.
- Still furthermore, in an arrangement in which the support boss for supporting the outboard motor in a state of being pushed over sideways is provided for the resin intake manifold, it is difficult for the intake manifold to sufficiently support the outboard motor because of its heavy weight.
- On the other hand, in a case where parts such as delivery pipe and the like are mounted to the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy, the use of resin insulator increases the number of parts or members, thus being inconvenient in economical point, assembling working and so on.
- An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide an intake manifold for an outboard motor capable of reducing weight and cost and improving operational performance or operating property.
- This and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing an intake manifold of an outboard motor which is mounted with a multiple-cylinder engine and in which intake air is distributed by the intake manifold to respective cylinders of the engine, the intake manifold being formed of synthetic resin and comprising:
- a surge tank; and
- a branch including a plurality of branch sections extending from the surge tank to the respective cylinders of the engine,
- the surge tank and the branch constituting an intake manifold body which is divided along a flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branch sections.
- In a preferred embodiment, the intake manifold body is fixed to the engine directly at one portion and is fixed thereto, at another portion, through a throttle body to which a bracket is connected, and the intake manifold body has mating surfaces between the intake manifold body and the engine and between the intake manifold body and the throttle body, and sealing means are formed to the mating surfaces. Each of the sealing means is composed of a groove formed to the mating surface and an O-ring fitted to the groove. The bracket is formed with bolt holes in shape of slots.
- The intake manifold body is provided with a plurality of reinforcement ribs extending in longitudinal direction thereof.
- The divided intake manifold body is joined together by a vibration welding method.
- The intake manifold body is provided with a hose clamp, the hose clamp is divided into halves, which are formed integrally with the divided portions of the intake manifold body, respectively, so that the divided halves take a form of a clamp when the divided portions of the intake manifold body are coupled together.
- At least four attachment bosses for fixing an outfit of an outboard motor is provided on a surface of the intake manifold body on the side of the engine and the outfit is fixed to the attachment bosses. A mounting section of an engine hook for suspending the engine is arranged between an intake manifold fixing bosses provided at the engine and an interior of the intake manifold body so as to be fastened together by a bolt for fixing the intake manifold body.
- A support boss used at a time of disposing an outboard motor to be sideways is disposed at substantially a central portion of the branch in a protruded manner. A delivery pipe constituting a fuel supply device is directly attached to the intake manifold body.
- Further, it is to be noted that the term “intake manifold” used in the present specification generally means an intake manifold body including other portions, but may be, in some portions, used as an intake manifold unit, for example, including the intake manifold body.
- As mentioned above according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight of the intake manifold, to decrease intake air resistance, improve air filling efficiency and to reduce cost.
- Further, in the preferred embodiments, it is possible to improve attachment rigidity to thereby improve the durability of the intake manifold. Moreover, it is possible to seal the surfaces of the intake manifold through which the intake manifold is coupled to the throttle body and the engine, respectively.
- Moreover, since bolt holes of the brackets are formed to have long hole (slot) shapes, the deformation of the intake manifold can be absorbed by the bolt holes.
- Furthermore, the location of a plurality of reinforcement ribs extending in longitudinal direction at the intake manifold makes it possible to improve the rigidity of the intake manifold and to prevent salt from adhering to the intake manifold even if seawater enters the outboard motor.
- Further, since divided segments of the intake manifold are coupled to and integrated with each other by a vibration welding method, it is possible to obtain high coupling strength.
- Additionally, the divided hose clamp halves are formed integrally with the divided segments of the intake manifold, respectively, so that the halves take a form of a clamp when the divided segments of the intake manifold are coupled together. It is, therefore, possible to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembly steps.
- Furthermore, the location of the mounting bosses at, at least, four portions and the outfit such as vapor separator is secured, so that the oscillation (resonation) of the outfit due to the engine vibration can be suppressed effectively, thus improving the durability of the intake manifold.
- Since the mounting portion of the engine hook is disposed and clamped between the intake manifold fastening boss and the inside portion of the intake manifold, any load is not applied to the intake manifold at a time when the engine of the outboard motor is suspended.
- The location of the support bosses makes it possible to sufficiently support the outboard motor at a time when it is mounted in a horizontally falling state.
- Furthermore, the direct mounting of the delivery pipe to the intake manifold can reduce the parts or members to be assembled and the assembling workability can be hence improved.
- The nature and further characteristic features of the present invention will be made more clear from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- In the accompanying drawings:
- FIG. 1 is a left side view of an outboard motor showing one embodiment of an intake manifold of an outboard motor according to the present invention;
- FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of an engine of the outboard motor of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the engine;
- FIG. 4 is a left side view of only the intake manifold while being mounted to the engine;
- FIG. 5 is a top view of only the intake manifold;
- FIG. 6 is a right side view of only the intake manifold;
- FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4;
- FIG. 8 is a view seen from VIII of FIG. 3;
- FIGS. 9A, 9B and9C show three surfaces of an intake device attachment bracket, respectively;
- FIG. 10 is a right side view of only the intake manifold in a state that a portion of a fuel supply device is mounted thereto; and
- FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 2.
- The embodiment of the present invention will be described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- FIG. 1 is a left side view of an
outboard motor 1 to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, theoutboard motor 1 is provided with anengine holder 2 and anengine 3 is disposed above theengine holder 2 in an illustrated state. Further, aclamp bracket 4 is attached to theengine holder 2 and theoutboard motor 1 is installed to thetransom 5 a of ahull 5. - FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the
engine 3. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of theengine 3. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, theengine 3 mounted on theoutboard motor 1 is, for example, a water-cooled four-stroke-cycle in-line four-cylinder engine. Theengine 3 is constituted in combination of acylinder head 6, acylinder block 7, and acrankcase 8 and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the surrounding of theengine 3 is covered with anoutboard motor cover 9. - The
cylinder block 7 is arranged in the back (right side as viewed) of thecrank case 8 arranged in the forefront of theengine 3 or in the left of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Thecylinder head 6 is arranged in the back of thecylinder block 7. Acrankshaft 10 is arranged almost perpendicularly in the coupling portion between thecrankcase 8 and the cylinder block 7 (see FIG. 1). - As shown in FIG. 1, a
drive shaft housing 11 is provided below theengine 3. Adrive shaft 12 is constituted such that the upper end portion of thedrive shaft 12 is fitted into the lower end portion of thecrankshaft 10 through, for example, a spline connection, thedrive shaft 12 extends downward in thedrive shaft housing 11 and drives apropeller 16 through abevel gear 14 and apropeller shaft 15 in agear case 13 provided below thedrive shaft housing 11. - An outfit such as electrical equipment, not shown, an
intake system 17 and afuel supply system 18 are arranged around theengine 3. Theintake system 17 mainly comprises asilencer 19, athrottle body 20 and anintake manifold 21. Theintake manifold 21 comprises asurge tank 22 and fourbranches 23 extending from thesurge tank 22 to the respective cylinders of the engine. - The
throttle body 20 which is one of the constitutional elements of theintake system 17 is arranged, for example, in front of thecrankcase 8. Thesilencer 19 and thesurge tank 22 of theintake manifold 21 are connected to the upstream and downstream sides of thethrottle body 20, respectively. Thebranches 23 extending from thesurge tank 22 almost horizontally are arranged on the side of thecylinder block 7 in vertical alignment and connected to respective intake ports, not shown, formed at thecylinder head 6. - The
outboard motor 1 in this embodiment is provided with a fuel tank, not shown, on the hull side. Afuel supply hose 24 extending from the fuel tank is connected to a low-pressure fuel filter 25. A lowpressure fuel pump 27 driven by a camshaft, not shown, which is the constitutional element of the valve system of theengine 3, is arranged on acylinder head cover 26 covering the rear portion of thecylinder head 6. The low-pressure fuel pump 27 and the low-pressure fuel filter 25 are connected to each other through a low-pressure fuel hose 28. - A
vapor separator 29 is provided in a space formed between the left side surface of thecylinder block 7 and theintake manifold 21. Thevapor separator 29 separates fuel steam contained in liquid fuel such as gasoline and releases or returns only this steam in the air or to theintake system 17. The fuel is introduced from the low-pressure fuel pump 27 to thevapor separator 29 through the low-pressure fuel hose 30. - A high-pressure fuel pump, not shown, is provided in the
vapor separator 29. The steam-separated fuel is forcedly fed from the high-pressure fuel pump to a high-pressure fuel filter 32 through a high-pressure fuel hose 31. This high-pressure fuel filter 32 is fixed to the lower portion of theintake manifold 21 through, for example, abracket 33. - The high pressure fuel forcedly fed to the high
pressure fuel filter 32 is fed to adelivery pipe 34 which is integrated with or integrally attached to theintake manifold 21 as will be described hereinlater, through a highpressure fuel hose 35. Thedelivery pipe 34 is connected tofuel injectors 36 attached to the respective cylinders. Thesefuel injectors 36 inject high-pressure fuel into intake ports. - FIG. 4 is a right side view of only the
intake manifold 21 in a state in which the manifold 21 is attached to theengine 3. FIG. 5 is a top view of only theintake manifold 21. FIG. 6 is a right side view of only theintake manifold 21. FIG. 7 is a right side view of only theintake manifold 21 in a state in which a part of thefuel supply system 18 is attached to themanifold 21. Furthermore, FIG. 10 is also a right side view of only the intake manifold to which a portion of afuel supply device 18 is mounted. In FIGS. 4 to 7 and 10, theintake manifold 21 is formed of synthetic resin. Furthermore, as indicated by arrows, theintake manifold 21 is divided into two segments in a lateral direction (in a state in which the manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3), i.e., into anoutside shell 21 a and aninside shell 21 b along the flow direction of intake air flowing in thebranches 23. - The
outside shell 21 a and theinside shell 21 b are formed by an injection method, respectively, and the mating surfaces of theshells - A mounting
eye 37 for mounting thethrottle body 20 is formed integrally with thesurge tank 22 formed upstream of theintake manifold 21. A mountingeye 38 for mounting theengine 3 is formed integrally with the downstream ends of thebranches 23 formed downstream of theintake manifold 21. The mountingeye 38 for theengine 3 extends longitudinally so as to couple the downstream ends of therespective branches 23 and a mountingboss 39 for mounting thedelivery pipe 34 is formed integrally with the mountingeye 38. Thedelivery pipe 34 is directly fixed to the mountingboss 39. - As shown in FIG. 6, a
groove 41 is formed on the outer periphery of anintake port 40 formed at the mountingeye 37 of thethrottle body 20 and an O-ring 42 is inserted into thegroove 41. Likewise, agroove 44 is formed on the outer periphery of theoutlet 43 a of anintake passage 43 formed at the mountingeye 38 of thebranch 23 for theengine 3 and an O-ring 45 is fitted in thegroove 44. - A plurality of
reinforcement ribs 46 extending almost orthogonally to the axes of thebranches 23, i.e., in the longitudinal direction, are formed integrally with theinside shell 21 b on the engine side surface thereof so as to couple thebranches 23 with one another. Furthermore, mountingbosses 47 for fixing thevapor separator 29 are provided, at least four portions, on the engine side surface of theinside shell 21 b and thevapor separator 29 is fixed to these mountingbosses 47 by, for example,bolts 48. - As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
reinforcement ribs 46 extending in longitudinal direction are also formed on the surface of theoutside shell 21 a opposite to theengine 3. Furthermore, a plurality of support bosses for supporting the outboard motor in the horizontally falling state are formed integrally with theoutside shell 21 a at substantially the central portion of this surface. - FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, a
hose clamp 50 holding a hose is provided on the upper surface of theintake manifold 21. Thishose clamp 50 is halved laterally intohalves outside shell 21 a and theinside shell 21 b, respectively, so that thehose clamp 50 takes the form of a clamp when the bothshells - FIG. 8 is a view seen from VIII of FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the
silencer 19, thethrottle body 20 and thesurge tank 22 of theintake manifold 21 are integrated with one another by a plurality ofbolts intake system 17 thus integrated with one another is attached to, for example, thecrankcase 8 of theengine 3 byother bolts 53 through abracket 52. At this time, thebracket 52 is fastened to theintake system 17 by thebolt 51 b. - Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting
eye 38 formed on the downstream ends of thebranches 23 for theengine 3 is directly fixed to thecylinder head 6 by, for example,bolts 54. In addition, upper and lower portions, for example, on the upstream sides of thebranches 23 are directly fixed to aboss 56 provided at thecrankcase 8 by, for example, abolt 55. - FIGS. 9A, 9B and9C show the three surfaces of the intake
system attachment bracket 5, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C, bolt holes 57 for the intakesystem integrating bolts 51 b and bolt holes 58 for thebolts 53 for attaching theintake system 17 to thecrankcase 8 are provided in thebracket 52. These bolt holes 57 and 58 are formed into the shapes of long holes, i.e. slots. - FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 2. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 11, the
outboard motor 1 is provided with ahook 60 by which theengine 3 of theoutboard motor 1 is suspended by using a crane, for example. Theengine hook 60 is mounted in a clamped state between theengine 3 and theintake manifold 21. More specifically, theengine hook 60 has a mountingportion 60 a which is disposed between the inside of thebranch 23 and theboss 56 to which the upper side of theupstream side branch 23 and the mountingportion 60 a is fastened by means ofbolt 55 for fixing thebranch 23. - Next, the function of this embodiment will be described.
- Since the
intake manifold 21 is formed of synthetic resin, theintake manifold 21 is lighter in weight than that formed of aluminum alloy. In addition, since a sand core is employed to form intake passages in the branches of the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy, the surfaces of the passages are rough and intake air is applied with resistance. In case of theintake manifold 21 made of resin, in comparison, the surfaces ofintake passages 43 in thebranches 23 thereof can be formed far smoother, and intake air resistance can be reduced accordingly. - Moreover, since heat is less propagated through the resin made intake manifold from the engine in comparison with the aluminum alloy one, it is possible to decrease intake air temperature. As a result, air filling efficiency is increased and power output level can be improved. Besides, synthetic resin is less expensive in unit price than aluminum alloy and cost reduction can be, therefore, realized. Accordingly, even if the
delivery pipe 34 is directly fixed to theintake manifold 21, the heat of the engine is hardly transmitted to thedelivery pipe 34. As a result, any insulator conventionally used for the intake manifold made of aluminum alloy becomes unnecessary, thus reducing parts or members for assembly and improving the assembling workability and assembling reliability. - Furthermore, the
intake manifold 21 is laterally halved into theoutside shell 21 a and theinside shell 21 b along the flow direction of the intake air flowing in thebranches 23 thereof (in a state that theintake manifold 21 is attached to the engine 3) and formed through an injection method. According to such arrangement, compared with a melt core method frequently used to form an internal hollow structure made of resin, it is possible to reduce plant and investment cost and to thereby reduce the total cost. Further, since both theshells - The
intake manifold 21 used for theoutboard motor 1 is linearly shaped compared with an intake manifold used for an automobile. It is, therefore, possible to divide theintake manifold 21 suitably for the vibration welding method. - On the other hand, the mounting
eye 38 formed on the downstream ends of thebranches 23 to mount the intake manifold to theengine 3 is directly fixed to thecylinder head 6 by means ofbolts 54. The upper and lower portions of thebranches 23 on the upstream sides are directly fixed to theboss 56 provided at thecrankcase 8 by thebolts 55. Thethrottle body 20 attached to thesurge tank 22 of theintake manifold 21 is attached to thecrankcase 8 of theengine 3 through thebracket 52 by thebolts 53. It is, therefore, possible to increase mounting rigidity. As a result, theintake manifold 21 is not resonated by the vibration of theengine 3 and the durability of theintake manifold 21 can be thereby improved. - Furthermore, while the
resin intake manifold 21 is slightly deformed according to a temperature change and a water absorption state, the deformation can be absorbed by forming the bolt holes 57 for the intakesystem integrating bolts 51 b provided at thebracket 52. The bolt holes 58 for thebolts 53 for attaching theintake manifold 21 to thecrankcase 8 are formed into the shapes of long holes. It is, therefore, possible to assemble theintake manifold 21 with theengine 3. - The rigidity of the
intake manifold 21 can be increased by providing a plurality ofreinforcement ribs 46 extending in the longitudinal direction almost orthogonally to the axes of thebranches 23 of theintake manifold 21 to the front and rear surfaces of thebranches 23, respectively, so as to couple therespective branches 23 one another. Furthermore, even if seawater enters the interior of theoutboard motor 9, seawater does not remain around thereinforcement ribs 46, thereby making it possible to prevent salt from adhering to theintake manifold 21. - The
hose clamp 50 provided on the upper surface of theintake manifold 21 is laterally halved intohalves outside shells 21 a and theinside shells 21 b, respectively, so that thehalves shells intake manifold 21 becomes unnecessary. Moreover, thehose clamp 50 can be formed so as not to abut burrs formed by a parting line generated at the formation of thehose clamp 50 against the hose, and the damage of the hose can be, therefore, prevented. - Meanwhile, since it is difficult to flatten the surfaces of the
resin intake manifold 21 on which with theintake manifold 21 are coupled to thecylinder head 6 and thethrottle body 20, it is difficult to seal the coupling surfaces by using metal gasket or paper gasket unlike the aluminum alloy intake manifold. - However, the
groove 41 is formed on the outer periphery of theintake port 40 formed at the mountingeye 37 for thethrottle body 20, and the O-ring 42 is fitted into thegroove 41. Likewise, thegroove 44 is formed on the outer periphery of theoutlet 43 a of theintake passage 43 formed at the mountingeye 38 of thebranches 23 for theengine 3 and the O-ring 45 is fitted into thegroove 44. Accordingly, it is possible to seal the coupling surfaces on which theintake manifold 21 is coupled to thecylinder head 6 and thethrottle body 20. In addition, by forming thegrooves intake manifold 21 side and fitting the O-rings grooves - Furthermore, according to the present invention, the mounting
bosses 47 for fastening thevapor separator 29 to the engine side surface of theinside shell 21 b of theintake manifold 21 at least four portions thereof, and thevapor separator 29 is fixed to these mountingbosses 47 by means ofbolts 48. Accordingly, the oscillation of the vapor separator due to the vibration of theengine 3 can be significantly suppressed. Moreover, the plural location of the mountingbosses 47 can disperse the load to be applied to therespective bosses 47, thus improving the durability of the intake manifold made of resin. - Still furthermore, the mounting
portion 60 a of theengine hook 60 is disposed between the inside of thebranch 23 and theboss 56 to which the upper side of theupstream side branch 23 is fixed, and the mountingportion 60 a is fastened by means ofbolt 55 for fixing thebranch 23. According to this structure, when the engine is suspended, the load is applied to theengine side boss 56 and thebranch fixing bolt 55 and is not applied to the intake manifold, thus being advantageous. - Still furthermore, a plurality of
support bosses 49 for supporting theoutboard motor 1 at a time of being disposed horizontally are provided at substantially the central portion of thebranch 23 to be integrally with theoutside shell 21 a in a projecting manner. According to this arrangement, thebosses 49 are positioned at the most high strong position in structure to thereby effectively support theoutboard motor 1. - Furthermore, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and many other changes, modifications and alternations may be made without departing from the scopes of the appended claims.
- That is, for example, in the above-stated embodiment, description has been given while taking a case of applying the present invention to an in-line four-cylinder engine as one preferred example. As long as the engine is a multiple-cylinder engine, the in-line four-cylinder engine may be replaced with an engine of three or less cylinders or five or more cylinders or replaced with a V-type engine. In addition, in the above-stated embodiment, description has been given while taking a case of halving the
intake manifold 21 as an example. Alternatively, by dividing theintake manifold 21 into three or four segments, the present invention may be applicable to an intake manifold having a more complex shape or more complex structure In the above-stated embodiment, description has been given while taking a case of fixing theintake manifold 21 to thecylinder head 6 and thecrankcase 8 as an example. Alternatively, theintake manifold 21 may be fixed to thecylinder block 7. In the embodiment, description has been given while taking a case of fixing theintake manifold 21 to thecrankcase 8 through the bracket 51 attached to thethrottle body 20 as an example. Alternatively, the bracket may be directly attached to theintake manifold 21. Further, instead of employing thebracket 52, a boss, not shown, for example, may be provided on theengine 3 side and theintake manifold 21 and thethrottle body 20 may be mounted to this boss.
Claims (11)
1. An intake manifold of an outboard motor which is mounted with a multiple-cylinder engine and in which intake air is distributed by the intake manifold to respective cylinders of the engine, said intake manifold being formed of synthetic resin and comprising:
a surge tank; and
a branch including a plurality of branch sections extending from the surge tank to the respective cylinders,
said surge tank and said branch constituting an intake manifold body which is divided along a flow direction of the intake air flowing in the branch sections.
2. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein the intake manifold body is fixed to the engine directly at one portion and is fixed thereto, at another portion, through a throttle body to which a bracket is connected, and wherein said intake manifold body has mating surfaces between the intake manifold body and the engine and between the intake manifold body and the throttle body, and sealing means are formed to the mating surfaces.
claim 1
3. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein each of said sealing means is composed of a groove formed to the mating surface and an O-ring fitted to said groove.
claim 2
4. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein said bracket is formed with bolt holes in shape of slots.
claim 2
5. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein said intake manifold body is provided with a plurality of reinforcement ribs extending in longitudinal direction thereof.
claim 1
6. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein said divided intake manifold body is joined together by a vibration welding method.
claim 1
7. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein said intake manifold body is provided with a hose clamp, said hose clamp is divided into halves, which are formed integrally with the divided portions of the intake manifold body, respectively, so that said divided halves take a form of a clamp when the divided portions of the intake manifold body are coupled together.
claim 1
8. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein at least four attachment bosses for fixing an outfit of an outboard motor is provided on a surface of the intake manifold body on the side of the engine and the outfit is fixed to the attachment bosses.
claim 1
9. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein a mounting section of an engine hook for suspending the engine is arranged between an intake manifold fixing bosses provided at the engine and an interior of the intake manifold body so as to be fastened together by a bolt for fixing the intake manifold body.
claim 8
10. An intake manifold of an outboard motor according to , wherein a support boss used at a time of disposing an outboard motor to be sideways is disposed at substantially a central portion of the branch in a protruded manner.
claim 8
11. An intake manifold for an outboard motor according to , wherein a delivery pipe constituting a fuel supply device is directly attached to the intake manifold body.
claim 8
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2000-162601 | 2000-05-31 | ||
JP2000-162600 | 2000-05-31 | ||
JP2000162600A JP3888030B2 (en) | 2000-05-31 | 2000-05-31 | Outboard motor intake manifold |
JP2000162601A JP4419276B2 (en) | 2000-05-31 | 2000-05-31 | Outboard motor intake manifold |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010052332A1 true US20010052332A1 (en) | 2001-12-20 |
US6427655B2 US6427655B2 (en) | 2002-08-06 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/867,468 Expired - Lifetime US6427655B2 (en) | 2000-05-31 | 2001-05-31 | Intake manifold of outboard motor |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US6427655B2 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2809772B1 (en) |
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US20050205040A1 (en) * | 2004-03-22 | 2005-09-22 | Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha | Intake system of outboard motor |
DE10251406B4 (en) * | 2002-11-05 | 2013-08-22 | Mann + Hummel Gmbh | Suction module for an internal combustion engine |
US20140102410A1 (en) * | 2011-05-19 | 2014-04-17 | Mikuni Corporation | Intake device |
CN105298699A (en) * | 2015-09-29 | 2016-02-03 | 成都华涛汽车塑料饰件有限公司 | Machining process of plastic intake manifold |
US10774754B2 (en) * | 2018-09-07 | 2020-09-15 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Engine |
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CA2470599C (en) * | 2003-06-13 | 2010-08-03 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Dual port intake device for an internal combustion engine formed by injection molding |
JP4315746B2 (en) * | 2003-07-02 | 2009-08-19 | ヤマハ発動機株式会社 | Outboard engine intake system |
JP2009127536A (en) * | 2007-11-23 | 2009-06-11 | Aisan Ind Co Ltd | Resin intake device |
US7451732B1 (en) * | 2008-01-30 | 2008-11-18 | Mann & Hummel Gmbh | Multi-shell air intake manifold with passage for map sensor and method of producing same |
US8127733B2 (en) * | 2009-03-19 | 2012-03-06 | Ford Global Technologies | Air intake system for internal combustion engine |
US8511289B2 (en) * | 2009-05-18 | 2013-08-20 | Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Intake manifolds |
KR101157767B1 (en) * | 2009-08-25 | 2012-06-25 | 지엠 글로벌 테크놀러지 오퍼레이션스 엘엘씨 | Intake Manifold having Vacuum Chamber |
JP5064537B2 (en) * | 2010-07-27 | 2012-10-31 | 株式会社サンダンスエンタープライズ | Flange for intake manifold |
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JPS6029395A (en) * | 1983-07-28 | 1985-02-14 | Sanshin Ind Co Ltd | Intake box for outboard engine |
US5341773A (en) * | 1993-11-04 | 1994-08-30 | Ford Motor Company | Joint for an automative air induction system |
JPH09177624A (en) * | 1995-12-22 | 1997-07-11 | Toyoda Gosei Co Ltd | Intake manifold made of resin and its manufacture |
JP3528494B2 (en) * | 1997-01-31 | 2004-05-17 | スズキ株式会社 | Outboard fuel supply system |
US5769045A (en) * | 1997-05-01 | 1998-06-23 | Chrysler Corporation | Modular air induction system with isolated throttle body |
JP3969549B2 (en) * | 1997-09-12 | 2007-09-05 | ヤマハマリン株式会社 | Intake passage structure for outboard engine |
JP4007463B2 (en) | 1997-09-12 | 2007-11-14 | ヤマハマリン株式会社 | Intake passage structure for outboard engine |
KR100331454B1 (en) * | 1998-09-01 | 2002-04-09 | 신구 이이치 | Inertia charge intake manifold for multi-cylinder internal combustion engine and connecting method for branch pipes of intake manifold |
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- 2001-05-31 FR FR0107125A patent/FR2809772B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-05-31 US US09/867,468 patent/US6427655B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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DE10251406B4 (en) * | 2002-11-05 | 2013-08-22 | Mann + Hummel Gmbh | Suction module for an internal combustion engine |
US20050205040A1 (en) * | 2004-03-22 | 2005-09-22 | Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha | Intake system of outboard motor |
US7114478B2 (en) * | 2004-03-22 | 2006-10-03 | Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha | Intake system of outboard motor |
US20140102410A1 (en) * | 2011-05-19 | 2014-04-17 | Mikuni Corporation | Intake device |
US9541009B2 (en) * | 2011-05-19 | 2017-01-10 | Mikuni Corporation | Intake device |
CN105298699A (en) * | 2015-09-29 | 2016-02-03 | 成都华涛汽车塑料饰件有限公司 | Machining process of plastic intake manifold |
US10774754B2 (en) * | 2018-09-07 | 2020-09-15 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Engine |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR2809772A1 (en) | 2001-12-07 |
FR2809772B1 (en) | 2007-04-20 |
US6427655B2 (en) | 2002-08-06 |
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